I hope everyone is enjoying the weather and your two-wheeled adventures this summer. It’s always better on a motorcycle, isn’t it?… City of Firsts H.O.G. Chapter #1252 in Kokomo, Indiana, started out 196 members strong in 1999 but have seen their membership dwindle to 55. Yet that doesn’t stop them from giving back to the community. Each month they choose one community organization from their surrounding counties, and during their monthly rides and various collections they always come up with $40–$50 dollars and a few bags of groceries to donate to a cause… In Lebanon, Missouri, the Freedom of Road Riders, American Legion Riders, and the Ozark Harley-Davidson H.O.G. Chapter held their 11th annual USO Military Support Motorcycle Ride on Father’s Day. The ride left the dealership, rode a portion of old Route 66 and ended at the Waynesville City Square. Missouri USO Executive Director Kathy O’Connor sends a big thank you out to those that rode and donated in support of the Missouri USO… The Ronald McDonald House in Fargo, North Dakota, is $150,000 richer thanks to the 15th annual RMH Ride this year. Over 1,000 motorcycles participated in the ride that started and ended at the VFW in New York Mills, Minnesota. The Wadena, Minnesota, Elks Lodge kicked in a check for $10,000 in addition to the 1,000 gallons of pop tabs that others had kicked in. Congratulations to Robin Salo of New York Mills on winning the 2016 Harley-Davidson, and Chris Hansen, Heather Spolaych, Ann Getchel, and Jeremy Hopewell on winning some cash in the various raffles… The mother of Brian Ayers of Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, has him set goals at the beginning of each school year. He couldn’t come up with a new academic goal, but had a goal just the same. He realized he had on a Harley-Davidson T-shirt. So his goal for his 5th grade school year was that he would wear a Harley-Davidson T-shirt every day. His collection of shirts grew from two to 20. On the last day of school, his teacher confirmed that he had achieved his goal… Seven-year-old Audrianna Reynolds of Toledo, Ohio, is like any other child her age; part tomboy and a little girl. She is a first grader and loves to ride her dirt bike. Then the bullying started at school and she started having a hard time. Her mother Alexandria enlisted the help of The Punishers MC. The club is made up law enforcement, EMS, firefighters and military personnel. The club showed up, gave her a vest and they told her to think of them as uncles. They packed her up on the lead scoot and gave her a ride to school at Marshall Elementary. Last report has it that all is good… Steve Pollak sent in a note on a run he attended June 19: “I attended the Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run that started at the Grundy County Fairgrounds and ended at the Middle East Conflicts Memorial Wall in Marseilles, Illinois. Thirty-two more names were added to the granite this year. With a police escort, and led by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, hundreds of motorcycles rode to the wall where a service was held and 32 more heroes’ names were added to the wall. Have a great summer. God bless America!” Thanks, Steve, for sending this in… That’s it for this month; thanks for sending in your information. It’s all about you, the Midwest biker. Ride fast, but ride safe.
